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Commercial Air Accidents/Incidents 1989-1998

Damage to United Airlines Flight 811 after the cargo door blew open mid-flight. 9 passengers were ejected through the hole.

January 8– British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737, crashes near Kegworth, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, after one of its engines loses a fan blade and fails. Of the 118 passengers and eight crew, 79 survive. The incident became known as the Kegworth air disaster and is the first loss of a Boeing 737-400.

February 8 – Independent Air Flight 1851, a Boeing 707, crashes into a hill on approach to Santa Maria, the Azores. All 144 people on board are killed.

February 19– Flying Tiger Line Flight 66, a Boeing 747 crashes near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on approach to land, killing all four on board. The crash is caused by miscommunication between ATC and the crew.

February 24– United Airlines Flight 811, a Boeing 747, suffers an explosive decompression shortly after takeoff from Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, caused by a cargo door that burst open during flight. Of 355 people on board, nine passengers are blown out of the plane, but the crew manage to land safely at Honolulu.

March 10– Air Ontario Flight 1363, a Fokker F28, crashes immediately after takeoff from Dryden, Ontario, Canada, because of ice on the wings, killing 24 of 69 people on board.

June 7– Surinam Airways Flight 764, a Douglas DC-8, crashes while attempting to land in heavy fog at Paramaribo, Suriname. The plane hits trees and flips upside down, killing 176 of 187 people on board.

July 19 – United Airlines Flight 232, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, suffers a complete hydraulic system failure over Iowa, United States, after the tail-mounted engine disintegrates. The crew maintains partial control of the aircraft using differential throttle, bringing it to a crash landing on the runway of the Sioux City, Iowa, airport. Of the 296 people on board, 111 die.

July 27– Korean Air Flight 803, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashes while attempting to land in heavy fog at Tripoli, Libya. 75 of the 199 passengers and crew on board plus four people on the ground are killed in the accident.

August 3– Olympic Aviation Flight 545, a Shorts 330-220, crashes into Mount Kerkis in Greece. All 34 passengers and crew on board are killed.

August 25– Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404, a Fokker F27, disappears on a flight with 54 on board; the wreckage has never been found.

September 3– Cubana de Aviación Flight 9646, an Ilyushin Il-62M, crashes while trying to take off from José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba. All 126 people on board the aircraft plus 45 people on the ground are killed in the crash.

September 3– Varig Flight 254, a Boeing 737, runs out of fuel because of incorrect navigation and crashes in the Brazilian jungle, killing 13 of the 54 people on board.

September 8– Partnair Flight 394, a Convair 580, crashes into the North Sea after its tail section falls off in mid-air. All 55 people on board perish. The disaster is blamed on counterfeit aircraft parts.

September 19– UTA Flight 772, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, explodes in mid-air over the Sahara desert when a bomb hidden in its forward cargo hold detonates. All 170 people on board are killed. Responsibility for the bombing is later traced back to Abdullah Senussi, the brother-in-law of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, whose government in 2003 agrees to pay compensation to the victims.

September 20– USAir Flight 5050, a Boeing 737, overruns the runway after a tire on a nosewheel bursts due to a mistrimmed rudder; two passengers die.

October 21– Tan-Sahsa Flight 414, a Boeing 727, crashes into a mountain known as Cerro de Hula near Tegucigalpa, Honduras, due to pilot error; 127 of 146 on board die.

October 26– China Airlines Flight 204, a Boeing 737, crashes into the Chiashan mountain range after takeoff from Hualien Airport due to pilot error; all 54 on board perish.

November 27– Avianca Flight 203, a Boeing 727, explodes in mid-air over Colombia, killing all 107 people on board and three people on the ground. The Medellín Cartel claimed responsibility for the attack.

December 15 – KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747 flying from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Alaska, flies through a cloud of volcanic debris, subsequently losing power from all four engines. The crew is able to restart the engines and land the plane safely.

December 26– United Express Flight 2415, a BAe Jetstream 31 operated by North Pacific Airlines crashes while attempting to land at Tri-Cities Airport, Washington. All 6 passengers and crew are killed.

1990

Avianca Flight 052.

January 4 – Northwest Airlines Flight 5, a Boeing 727 with 145 on board, loses an engine over Madison, Florida, the aircraft makes an emergency landing at Tampa International Airport, all on board survive.

January 16– SANSA Flight 32, crashes into a mountain just after takeoff from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San José, Costa Rica, killing all 20 passengers and three crew on board.

January 25– Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing 707, runs out of fuel and crashes while attempting to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; of the 158 people on board, 85 survive.

February 14– Indian Airlines Flight 605, an Airbus A320, crashes on its final approach to Bangalore Airport. 92 out of 146 people on board are killed.

April 9– Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, collides with a Cessna 172, both on the Cessna die. Flight 2254 lands; all seven on board survive.

April 12– Widerøe Flight 839, a DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashes into water just after takeoff from Værøy Airport, killing all five people on board.

May 11– Philippine Airlines Flight 143, a Boeing 737, explodes and burns on the ground at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, killing eight of 120 on board.

June 10 – British Airways Flight 5390, a BAC One-Eleven, suffers explosive decompression over Didcot, Oxfordshire, England, when one of the front windscreen panes blows out. The captain is partially blown out of the cockpit, but a flight attendant manages to keep the unconscious pilot from falling out of the aircraft. The first officer lands the aircraft safely at Southampton Airport. All on board survive.

November 14– Alitalia Flight 404, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes on approach to Zürich Airport, Switzerland, killing all 46 people on board.

December 3– Northwest Airlines Flight 1482, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, collides with Northwest Airlines Flight 299, a Boeing 727, when the crew of the DC-9 mistakenly taxies onto the active runway at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport; eight of the 54 people on board the DC-9 are killed; all 154 people on board the Boeing 727 survive.

1991

February 1– USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737, is landing at Los Angeles International Airport when it strikes SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569, a Fairchild Metro commuter plane, waiting to take off from the same runway. All 12 people aboard the Metro and 21 of the 89 on the Boeing 737 are killed at the time, and two more from the Boeing die three days and 31 days after the crash.

March 3– United Airlines Flight 585, a Boeing 737, crashes while attempting to land at Colorado Springs Airport, Colorado, killing all 25 people on board. The cause of the crash is not identified until the investigation into the crash of USAir Flight 427 in 1994; both crashes are eventually attributed to defects in a valve associated with the rudder.

March 5– Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 108, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashes into a mountain shortly after taking off from La Chinita International Airport, Venezuela. All 45 passengers and crew are killed.

March 26– Singapore Airlines Flight 117, an Airbus A310, is hijacked by Pakistani militants en route to Singapore Changi Airport, where, upon landing, it is stormed by Singapore Special Operations forces. All of the hijackers are killed in the operation, with no fatalities among the passengers and crew.

April 5– Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311, an Embraer EMB 120RT, rolls sharply and crashes on final approach to Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 people on board.

May 26– Lauda Air Flight 004, a Boeing 767, disintegrates in mid-air over Uthai Thani Province and Suphan Buri Province, Thailand, killing all 223 people on board. A thrust reverser had accidentally deployed in flight, causing the disaster. It is the first fatal crash of a Boeing 767.

July 11– Nigeria Airways Flight 2120, a Nationair McDonnell Douglas DC-8 chartered by Nigeria Airways to transport Nigerian pilgrims to Mecca, crashes shortly after takeoff from King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, because of a fire caused by tire failure. All 261 on board die, including 14 Canadian crew members.

August 16– Indian Airlines Flight 257, a Boeing 737, hits high ground during descent about 30 km from the Imphal airport. All six crew members and 63 passengers are killed.

September 11– Continental Express Flight 2574, an Embraer EMB 120RT, crashes on descent in Eagle Lake, Texas, killing all 14 people on board. Maintenance crews traded work shifts during repairs to the horizontal stabilizer, inadvertently leaving 47 bolts missing. Reformers pointed to this error and called for development of a “safety culture”.

December 27 – Both engines of Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81, surge shortly after takeoff from Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The pilots successfully make an emergency landing in a nearby field, injuring 25 passengers but incurring not a single fatality.

December 29– China Airlines Flight 358, a Boeing 747 freighter, suffers double engine separation and crashes into a hill near Wanli, Taipei, Taiwan, killing all five crew on board.

1992

Wreckage of USAir Flight 405.

Flats in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood after being hit by El Al Flight 1862.

Courtesy: Jos Wiersema. The original uploader was Maaike98 at Dutch Wikipedia., modified by Simeon87. – See File:Bijlmerrampwiers2.jpg, original image transferred from nl.wikipedia to Commons.Version without link of File:Bijlmerrampwiers2.jpg. Original uploaded with consent from creator and owner Jos Wiersema. website: http://members.chello.nl/wiers/bijlmer

January 3– CommutAir Flight 4281, a Beechcraft 1900C crashes on approach into Adirondack Regional Airport, New York. Two of the four occupants are killed.

January 20– Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320, crashes in the Vosges Mountains on approach to Strasbourg, France, killing 87 of 96 people on board.

March 22– USAir Flight 405, a Fokker F-28, crashes on takeoff from New York because of ice build up. Twenty-seven of the 51 people on board are killed.

June 6– Copa Airlines Flight 201, a Boeing 737-200 Advanced, crashes near Darién, Panama, killing all 47 passengers and crew on board; a faulty attitude indicator is the cause.

June 7– American Eagle Flight 5456, a CASA C-212 Aviocar operated by Executive Airlines crashes on approach into Eugenio María de Hostos Airport, Puerto Rico. All five passengers and crew are killed.

June 8– GP Express Flight 861, a Beechcraft Model 99 crashes on approach into Anniston Metropolitan Airport, Alabama. Three of the six passengers and crew on board are killed.

July 30 – TWA Flight 843 aborts takeoff at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Lockheed L-1011 turns off the runway onto grass in order to avoid striking a concrete barrier. The plane is destroyed by fire shortly after all 292 passengers and crew evacuate with no loss of life.

July 31– Thai Airways International Flight 311, an Airbus A310, crashes on approach into Kathmandu, Nepal, killing all 14 crew and 99 passengers on board.

July 31– China General Aviation Flight 7552, a Yakovlev 42D, loses control just after takeoff from Nanjing Airport and crashes into a pond; 108 of 126 on board die.

August 27– Aeroflot Flight 2808, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashes into buildings while attempting to land at Ivanovo Yuzhny Airport, killing all 84 on board.

October 4– El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747, freighter, crashes into high-rise apartment buildings in Amsterdam after two of its engines detach from the wing. Forty-three people, including the plane’s crew of three plus an additional passenger, are killed.

October 18– Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 5601, a CASA/IPTN CN-235, crashes into Mount Papandayan near the town Garut in Indonesia. All 31 passengers and crew on board are killed.

November 14– Vietnam Airlines Flight 474, a Yakovlev Yak-40, crashes while on approach to Nha Trang Airport in a tropical storm. Thirty people on board are killed.

December 22– Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103, a Boeing 727, collides with a Libyan Air Force MiG-23 near Tripoli International Airport, killing all 159 on board both aircraft.

1993

Burnt out wreckage of Lufthansa Flight 2904.

January 6– Lufthansa CityLine Flight 5634, a de Havilland Canada DHC-8, crashes short of the runway at Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing four of 23 on board.

February 8– In the 1993 Tehran mid-air collision, an Iran Air Tours Tupolev Tu-154 collides in mid-air with an Iranian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24, killing all 133 on board both aircraft.

February 11 – Lufthansa Flight 592, an Airbus A310 was hijacked and forced the pilot to fly to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Plane landed safely and the hijacker surrendered. All 104 on board survived.

March 5– Palair Macedonian Airlines Flight 301, a Fokker 100, crashes shortly after takeoff from Skopje Airport in Macedonia; 83 of the 97 passengers and crew on board are killed.

April 6– China Eastern Airlines Flight 583, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, makes an emergency landing at Shemya Air Force Base after the slats are accidentally deployed in mid-air near the Aleutian Islands; all on board initially survive, but two die later.

April 18 – Japan Air System Flight 451, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, encounters windshear and skids off the runway at Hanamaki Airport; all on board survive.

April 26 – Indian Airlines Flight 491, a Boeing 737, strikes a large vehicle on a road just outside Aurangabad Airport, killing 55 of the 118 people on board.

July 1– Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724, a Fokker F27, collided with a small hill before the sea, broke up and plunged into the sea shortly after. 41 people were killed in the crash.

July 23– China Northwest Airlines Flight 2119, a BAe 146, overruns the runway at Yinchuan Hedong Airport, Ningxia, China after an aborted takeoff; the aircraft crashes into a lake, killing 54 passengers and one crew member.

July 26– Asiana Airlines Flight 733, a Boeing 737, crashes into a mountain in Haenam, South Korea, after failed landing attempts, killing 78 of the 110 people on board; this crash is the first loss of a Boeing 737-500.

August 28– A Tajik Air Yakovlev Yak-40 overruns the runway on takeoff from Khorog Airport and crashes due to severe overloading, killing 82 of 86 on board; the accident is the deadliest involving the Yak-40 as well as the deadliest accident in Tajikistan to date.

September 14– Lufthansa Flight 2904, an Airbus A320, crashes after overrunning the runway in Warsaw, Poland, killing two and injuring 68 of the 72 people on board.

September 21– In the first of the three Transair Georgia airliner shootdowns, a Tupolev Tu-134A is hit on approach to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport by a surface-to-air missile; the plane crashes into the Black Sea, killing all five crew members and all 22 passengers.

September 22– In the second of the three Transair Georgia airliner shootdowns, a Tupolev Tu-154, carrying soldiers from Tbilisi, is shot down on landing in the Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport; the plane crashes on the runway and catches fire, killing 108 of the 132 people on board.

October 26– China Eastern Airlines Flight 5398, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, overruns the runway at Fuzhou Changle International Airport in heavy weather, killing two of 80 on board.

October 27– Widerøe Flight 744, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashes in Overhalla, Norway, on approach to Namsos Airport, killing both pilots and four passengers; the crash is also known as the Namsos Accident.

November 4 – China Airlines Flight 605, a Boeing 747-400, overruns Kai Tak Airport’s runway 13 on landing during a typhoon; the aircraft is unable to stop before crashing into Hong Kong harbour; all 374 on board escape safely; this crash is the first loss of a Boeing 747-400.

November 20– Avioimpex Flight 110, a Yakovlev Yak-42, crashes on approach to Ohrid Airport in Macedonia; all 116 passengers and crew die as a result of the crash, though one passenger lived for 11 days before succumbing to his injuries.

December 1– Northwest Airlink Flight 5719, a Jetstream 31, crashes into two ridges east of Hibbing, Minnesota, killing all 18 on board.

1994

Crater left by the impact of USAir Flight 427.

January 3– Baikal Airlines Flight 130, a Tupolev Tu-154, loses control and crashes near Irkutsk, Russia, after the hydraulic system failed due to an engine fire, killing all 124 on board and one person on the ground.

January 7– United Express Flight 6291, a BAe Jetstream 41 crashes on approach into Port Columbus International Airport, Ohio. Five of the eight passengers and crew are killed.

February 24– Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9045, an Antonov An-12BP crashes on approach into Nalchik Airport, Russia. All 13 passengers and crew are killed. The aircraft was carrying 12,515 kg of coins from the Saint Petersburg Mint.

March 23– Aeroflot Flight 593, an Airbus A310, crashes into a wooded hillside in Siberia. All 75 passengers and crew are killed.

April 4– KLM Cityhopper Flight 433, a Saab 340, crashes while trying to return to Schiphol Airport, due to pilot error and equipment failure; the pilot and two passengers die, nine passengers are injured.

April 7 – Federal Express Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, experiences an attempted hijacking by a FedEx employee; the three crew members are severely injured, but manage to subdue the attacker and land the aircraft safely with no loss of life.

April 26– China Airlines Flight 140, an Airbus A300, crashes while landing at Nagoya, Japan, as a result of pilot error. 264 of the 271 people on board die.

June 6– China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303, a Tupolev Tu-154M, breaks up in mid-air and crashes near Xian, China, killing all 160 on board. The deadliest airplane crash ever to occur in China is attributed to a maintenance error.

July 1– Air Mauritanie Flight 625, a Fokker F28 Fellowship crashes on landing at Tidjikja Airport, Mauritania in sandstorm conditions. 80 of the 93 passengers and crew are killed.

July 2– USAir Flight 1016, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes while attempting to land at Charlotte, North Carolina, during a thunderstorm. 37 of the 57 people on board are killed.

July 19– Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, an Embraer EMB-110, explodes in mid-air over Panama, killing all 21 people on board. Investigators conclude that a suicide bomber caused the plane to explode, although motives and affiliation of the bomber remain unclear.

August 21– Royal Air Maroc Flight 630, an ATR-42, is deliberately crashed into the Atlas Mountains, killing all 44 on board.

September 8– USAir Flight 427, a Boeing 737, crashes while attempting to land at Pittsburgh International Airport, killing all 132 people on board. Investigations showed that a fault in the Boeing 737 rudder was to blame for the crash.

September 26– 1994 Vanavara Air Disaster, a Yakovlev Yak-40 operated by Cheremshanka Airlines crashes near Vanavara, Russia after running out of fuel in bad weather, killing 28 passengers and crew.

October 12– Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 746, a Fokker F-28, crashes into a mountain near Natanz, Iran, due to double engine failure, killing all 66 on board.

October 31– American Eagle Flight 4184, an ATR 72 turboprop, crashes near Roselawn, Indiana, while waiting to land at Chicago, because of ice build up on its wings. All 68 people on board die.

November 22– TWA Flight 427, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, collides with a Superior Aviation Cessna 441 on the runway at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, killing the pilot and passenger in the Cessna; there are no fatalities on board the MD-82.

December 11– A bomb explodes on board Philippine Airlines Flight 434, a Boeing 747, killing one passenger, in a prelude to the terrorist Bojinka plot. Despite subsequent difficulties in controlling the aircraft, the crew succeeds in making an emergency landing at Naha, Okinawa.

December 21– Air Algérie Flight 702P, a Boeing 737, crashes on approach to Coventry Airport, England, killing all 5 on board.

December 24 – Air France Flight 8969, an Airbus A300, is hijacked on the tarmac at Algiers, Algeria, by the militant group GIA. After a two-day standoff, the plane is allowed to fly to Marseille, France, where it is stormed by French commandos who kill the hijackers.

December 29– Turkish Airlines Flight 278, a Boeing 737-400, crashes on final approach to Van Ferit Melen Airport in eastern Turkey in driving snow. Five of the seven crew and 52 of the 69 passengers are killed.

1995

Bristow Flight 56C a helicopter flight floating in water

January 11– Intercontinental de Aviación Flight 256, a Douglas DC-9, crashes in a lagoon near María La Baja, Colombia due to an improperly set altitmeter, killing 51 of 52 on board.

January 19 – Bristow Flight 56C, a Eurocopter Super Puma, is struck by lightning and is forced to make an emergency landing in the North Sea; all 18 on board survive.

March 31– TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310, crashes near Baloteşti, Romania due to mechanical failure and pilot error, killing all 60 on board.

June 9– Ansett New Zealand Flight 703, a de Havilland Canada DHC-8, crashes during a landing approach near the Tararua Ranges, New Zealand, killing four of the 21 people on board.

August 9– Aviateca Flight 901, a Boeing 737, crashes into San Vicente volcano while on approach to Cuscatlán International Airport; all 65 on board die.

August 21– Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, an Embraer EMB 120, crashes in a field near Carrollton, Georgia, United States, killing nine of the 29 people on board.

September 15– Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker 50, crashes into a shantytown in Malaysia due to pilot error, killing 34 of 53 on board.

November 12 – American Airlines Flight 1572, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, shears off treetops on approach, trees ingested into the engine causing them to flame out and shutdown. The aircraft impacts the runway antenna equipment before rolling to a stop. There is one minor injury of the 78 people on board.

November 13– Nigeria Airways Flight 357, a Boeing 737, overruns the runway while landing at Kaduna Airport, killing 11 of 138 on board.

December 3– Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701, a Boeing 737, loses control and crashes while on approach to Douala International Airport, Cameroon; of the 76 on board, five survive.

December 5 – Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 56, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashes on climbout from Nakhchivan Airport after an engine fails due to improper maintenance, killing 52 of 82 on board.

December 7– Khabarovsk United Air Group Flight 3949, a Tupolev Tu-154B crashes after entering a steep downward spiral while at cruising altitude. All 98 passengers and crew are killed.

December 7– In the 1995 Air St. Martin Beech 1900 crash, a Beechcraft 1900D crashes near Belle-Anse, Haiti, killing all 20 people on board.

December 13– Banat Air Flight 166, a Romavia Antonov An-24, crashes after taking off from Verona Airport, because of overloading and ice accumulation on the wings; all 49 people on board are killed.

December 18– In the 1995 Trans Service Airlift Electra crash, a Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes shortly after takeoff from Jamba, Angola, due to overloading and shifting baggage; of the 144 people on board, only three survive.

December 20– American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain while approaching Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Palmira, Colombia, killing 159 of 163 on board.

1996

The reconstructed wreckage of Trans World Air Flight 800.

January 8Air Africa crash, an overloaded Antonov An-32 aborts takeoff and overruns into a market in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 227 people on the ground.

February 6– Birgenair Flight 301, a Boeing 757, with 189 people on board, crashes into the ocean off Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic shortly after taking off. All passengers and crew are killed.

February 29– Faucett Flight 251, a Boeing 737, crashes into a hill while attempting to land at Arequipa, Peru. All 123 people on board die.

May 11– ValuJet Flight 592, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes in the Everglades near Miami, Florida, because of a fire in its cargo hold. All 110 people on board are killed.

June 9 – Eastwind Airlines Flight 517, a Boeing 737-200, loses rudder control while on approach to Richmond International Airport, Richmond, Virginia, and makes an emergency landing; no fatalities.

June 13– Garuda Indonesia Flight 865, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, aborts takeoff due to an engine failure and crashes into a threshold at Fukuoka Airport, Fukuoka, Japan, killing three of 275 on board.

July 6– Delta Air Lines Flight 1288, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88, experiences an uncontained engine failure during takeoff on Runway 17 at Pensacola, Florida. Fragments from the number one (left) Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofan engine penetrate the fuselage, killing two and seriously injuring one of the 148 people on board.

July 17– TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747, explodes in mid-air above the ocean off East Moriches, New York killing all 230 people on board. 70% of passengers were sucked out during the explosion.

August 29– Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes into a mountain on Spitsbergen, an island in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, killing all 141 on board.

September 3 – Hemus Air Flight 7081, a Tupolev Tu-154 is hijacked while en route from Beirut, Lebanon to Varna, Bulgaria. After landing in Varna, the 150 passengers are traded for fuel. The plane then flies on to Oslo Gardermoen Airport, Norway, where the hijacker later surrenders.

October 2– Aeroperú Flight 603, a Boeing 757, crashes into the ocean off Pasamayo, Peru, because of a maintenance error. All 70 people on board are killed.

October 31– TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402, a Fokker 100, crashes shortly after takeoff from Congonhas-São Paulo Airport, Brazil, striking an apartment building and several houses. All 90 passengers and six crew members on board die. Three people are killed on the ground.

November 7– ADC Airlines Flight 86, a Boeing 727, crashes when the crew loses control of the aircraft while avoiding a mid-air collision on approach to Lagos, Nigeria. All 144 passengers and crew on board are killed.

November 12– Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision: Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763, a Boeing 747, collides in mid-air with Air Kazakhstan Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76, near Charkhi Dadri, India. All 312 on board the Boeing 747 and all 37 on board the Ilyushin Il-76 are killed. It is the deadliest mid-air collision in aviation history.

November 19– United Express Flight 5925, a Beechcraft 1900, collides with a privately owned Beechcraft King Air at Quincy Regional Airport, Illinois; killing all 14 on board both aircraft.

November 23– Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, a Boeing 767, is hijacked over Kenya. The aircraft runs out of fuel, and the pilot attempts to ditch the aircraft in the ocean off Moroni, Comoros. Of the 175 people on board, 125 are killed (including the three hijackers).

December 7– Dirgantara Air Service Flight 5940, a CASA C-212 Aviocar crashes into a gas factory shortly after takeoff from Syamsudin Noor International Airport, Indonesia following an engine failure. 16 of the 17 passengers and crew are killed, as well as two on the ground.

1997

Korean Air Flight 801.

January 9– Comair Flight 3272, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasília, crashes near Ida, Michigan, during a snowstorm, killing all 29 on board.

March 18– Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023, an Antonov An-24, breaks up in flight and crashes near Cherkessk, Russia; all 50 on board die.

April 19– Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 106, a BAe ATP crashes during a failed go-around in bad weather at Buluh Tumbang International Airport, Indonesia. 15 of the 53 passengers and crew are killed.

May 8– China Southern Airlines Flight 3456, a Boeing 737, makes a hard landing in Shenzhen, China, during poor weather and crashes, killing 35 of the 74 people on board.

July 31 – FedEx Express Flight 14, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashes upon landing at Newark Liberty International Airport; the two crew members and three passengers escape uninjured.

July 17– Sempati Air Flight 304, a Fokker F27, crashes shortly after take off from Husein Sastranegara International Airport. 28 people were killed.

August 6– Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747, crashes while attempting to land in heavy rain at Guam International Airport; of the 254 people on board, only 26 survive.

August 10– Formosa Airlines Flight 7601, a Dornier Do 228, crashes while attempting to land at Beigan, Lienchiang, in the Matsu Islands. All 16 passengers and crew on board are killed.

September 3– Vietnam Airlines Flight 815, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashes on approach to Phnom Penh International Airport in heavy rain, killing 64 of the 66 people on board.

September 6– Royal Brunei Airlines Flight 238, a Dornier Do 228, crashes into a hill side in Lambir Hills National Park, killing all 10 on board.

September 26– Garuda Indonesia Flight 152, an Airbus A300, crashes into a mountain near Buah Nabar, Indonesia, killing all 234 on board.

October 10– Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes near Fray Bentos, Uruguay, traveling from Posadas to Buenos Aires, resulting in the death of all 74 occupants.

December 15– Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes into the desert near Sharjah Airport, of the 86 on board, only the flight engineer survives.

December 17– Aerosvit Flight 241, a Yakovlev Yak-42, crashes near Thessaloniki, Greece, killing all 70 people on board.

December 19– SilkAir Flight 185, a Boeing 737, crashes into the Musi River near Palembang, Indonesia, killing all 102 people on board.

December 28– United Airlines Flight 826, a Boeing 747, encounters severe turbulence two hours into the flight; the aircraft safely lands back in Tokyo; all survive the accident, but a passenger dies later; despite having no damage, the aircraft is written off.

1998

February 2– Cebu Pacific Flight 387, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes into a mountain near Mount Sumagaya in Misamis Oriental in the Philippines, killing all 104 passengers and crew members on board

February 16– China Airlines Flight 676, an Airbus A300, crashes into a residential area while attempting to land in Taipei, Taiwan. All 196 people on board are killed, in addition to six on the ground.

March 19– In the 1998 Ariana Afghan Airlines crash, a Boeing 727 crashes into Sharki Baratayi Mountain while on approach to Kabul International Airport, killing all 45 on board.

March 22– Philippine Airlines Flight 137, an Airbus A320, overshoots the end of the runway while landing at Bacolod City in the Philippines, plowing through several houses. None of the passengers was harmed, but three people on the ground are killed and several more injured.

April 20– Air France Flight 422, a Boeing 727 leased from TAME Airlines, crashes into the mountains east of Bogotá, Colombia, on takeoff from El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá in foggy weather. All 53 passengers and crew perish.

May 5– In the 1998 Occidental Petroleum Boeing 737 crash, a Boeing 737 leased from the Peruvian Air Force crashes while on approach to Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport, killing 75 of 88 on board.

May 25 – PIA Flight 544, a Fokker F-27, is hijacked shortly after takeoff by three armed men. F-16 fighter jets intercept the plane and force it to land. The hijackers are arrested and sentenced to death. All 38 on board survive.

July 30– Proteus Airlines Flight 706: a Beechcraft 1900D collides in mid-air with a light aircraft over Quiberon Bay. Both aircraft crash into the sea, killing 15 people.

August 24– Myanma Airways Flight 635, a Fokker F-27 Friendship, crashes while on approach to Tachilek Airport; all 36 on board die.

August 29– Cubana de Aviación Flight 389, a Tupolev Tu-154M overruns the runway whilst taking off from Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Ecuador, proceeding to crash into a soccer field. 70 of the 91 passengers and crew are killed, along with 10 on the ground.

September 2– Swissair Flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashes into the sea near Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, because of an onboard fire. All 229 people on board perish.

September 25– PauknAir Flight 4101, a BAe 146, leaves Málaga but never reaches its destination in Melilla. All passengers and crew perish.

September 29– Lionair Flight 602, an Antonov An-24, is shot down by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and crashes off the coast of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, killing all 55 on board.

October 10– The 1998 Lignes Aériennes Congolaises crash occurs when rebels using a Strela 2 missile shoot down the Boeing 727, which crashes near Kindu, Democratic Republic of Congo, killing all 41 on board.

December 11– Thai Airways International Flight 261, an Airbus A310, crashes during poor weather near Surat Thani, Thailand. Of the 146 people on board, 102 are killed.